Fields of Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to the field of hydrocarbon recovery. More specifically, the disclosure relates to the field of recovering hydrocarbons that are within a subsurface formation.
Description of Related Art
This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with the present disclosure. This discussion is believed to assist in providing a framework to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that this section should be read in this light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art.
Modern society is greatly dependent on the use of hydrocarbons for fuels and chemical feedstocks. Subterranean formations that can be termed “reservoirs” may contain resources, such as hydrocarbons, that can be recovered. Removing hydrocarbons from the subterranean reservoirs depends on numerous physical properties of the subterranean rock formations, such as the permeability of the rock containing the hydrocarbons, the ability of the hydrocarbons to flow through the subterranean rock formations, and the proportion of hydrocarbons present, among other things.
Easily produced sources of hydrocarbons are dwindling, resulting in increased reliance on less conventional sources (i.e., unconventional resources) to satisfy future needs. Examples of unconventional resources may include heavy oil, tar and oil shale. These unconventional resources may complicate production of the hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation. For example, a viscosity of the hydrocarbons may be sufficiently high to prevent production (or at least economical production) of the hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation and/or it may be desirable to change a chemical and/or physical composition (interchangeably referred to as chemical and/or physical property) of the hydrocarbons, such as by decreasing an average molecular weight of the hydrocarbons, prior to production of the hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbon removal from unconventional resources may be performed by different techniques. In one technique, strip or surface mining may be used to access oil shale and heat may be used to mobilize the oil shale for production. Heat may be applied to the oil shale after placing the mined oil shale in a vessel, such as but not limited to a retort, to heat the oil shale. While strip or surface mining allows for mobilization and production of the oil shale, strip or surface mining is economically challenging. In another technique, thermal processes may be applied to the oil shale. The oil shale may be heated in situ without having to first strip or surface mine the oil shale. Conventional thermal processes, like strip or surface mining, may also be economically challenging.
A need exists for improved technology, including technology that may address one or more of the above described disadvantages. For example, a need exists for recovering hydrocarbons within a subsurface formation in a more economically viable manner.